The Biggest Banana Republic in Europe - VIDEO Featured

QI (Quite Interesting) is a British comedy panel game television quiz show hosted by Stephen Fry. A long time ago one of the questions was about 'The Biggest Banana Republic in Europe'.

Many were guessing "Iceland!" before they knew the question actually had something to do with bananas. But strangely enough, the answer was still the same - Iceland.

Check it out:

The Urban Myth about Banana production in Iceland

The urban myth according to which Iceland is currently Europe’s largest producer and/or exporter of bananas has been propagated in various books as well as in other media. It was mentioned, for example, in an episode of the BBC quiz programme QI, and was mentioned on a forum connected with the show. However, according to FAO statistics (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), the largest European producer of bananas is (and has been for decades) Spain, with around 90 per cent of the total (although the production is mostly confined to the Canary Islands, which lie off the coast of Africa). Other banana-producing countries in Europe include Portugal, Greece and Italy.

Consequently, although a small number of banana plants still exist in greenhouses and produce fruit every year, Iceland imports nearly all of the bananas consumed in the country, with imports now amounting to over 18 kg per capita per annum. The Agricultural University of Iceland maintains the last such farm with 600-700 banana plants in its tropical greenhouse, which were received as donations from producers when they shut down (then the Horticultural College). Bananas grown there are consumed by the students and staff and are not sold.